We can’t Cook but we can follow his path – Fiji
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006Since our travels along the east coast of Australia, we seemed to be doing a very good job of following the path of one Captain James Cook. Although he was laying the paving stones of our trip back in 1768 and doing it in the opposite direction to us, we couldn’t help seeing his influence everywhere. The section I write about today picks up during our island hopping through the South Pacific Islands, and a focus on Fiji.
When planning our flights in and out of the islands we had pretty basic expectations. We figured a week in each place should get us sun, sand, and palm trees. Little did we know how much us weary travelers needed this natural medicine! All three places delivered very different experiences and have educated us skeptics on the value of a tropical island holiday.
When stepping off the plane in Fiji we were hit right away with a warm breeze in the face. Instantly the mob of people walking towards passport control, transformed in front of our eyes from miserable workaholics into happy relaxed islanders. It was if the corridor roof had a vacuum that sucked the stress out of you. We like to think we were just observers of this but in reflection, world travel is quite stressful and we benefited from the stress vacuum as much as anyone there.
In what seems our last organized moment, we had booked a full week at a resort called Walu Beach in the Malolo island group. We had not organized transport to the island but we were ushered past the touters into the tourist bureau where a phone call was made and we were told our ride was on its way. In true island time the driver turned up and drove us into the main town of Nadi (Nan-Dee, rhyme it with candy). It was busy and to be fair a little dirty place filled with character. It was here we were told we were stopping for 15min to pick up supplies for the resort which suited us fine as it gave us an opportunity to have a look around. After eggs and toilet paper were placed neatly around our rucksacks we proceeded to pick up Buma, one of the behind the scenes managers who hitched a ride to the island with us. We were taken to a jetty and picked up by what I can describe as a tiny motorboat not fit to water-ski behind. The weather conditions were considerably rough and only thanks to Captain Michael and his excellent handling did we both not toss our cookies on the hour long thrill ride.
On docking a man with his guitar singing island music greeted us and some strong lads took our bags. We were upgraded to a Bure (small hut on the beach) and golf carted to it, down the beach past beautiful people soaking in the rays. It was truly beautiful with stunning turquoise watern and hammocks draped from palm trees.
After settling in I talked Annamarie into an exploration claiming I had seen a nice beach from the boat but is was around the corner. Little did I know it was not an easy path when in high tide and Annamarie ended up breaking her flip flops and cutting her feet on some coral. We turned around at this point and later encountered two guys attempting to do the same thing. We granted them the luxury of a warning, something we would have appreciated, and they wisely turned back too.
For the first time in a long time we settled into a routine. We would wake up about 9am and go for breakfast (all our meals were included in the package). I would catch the morning sun by the pool while Annamarie took time out to pamper herself as girls do ( and sacrifice when on a world trip). We would meet for lunch at noon and then both catch a little afternoon sun from the beach in front of our Bure. We would swim in the warm, clear water and read a good book. Come 3 o’clock we would move into a hammock in the shade until about 4 when I would take my daily run. I would go up and down a small dirt road that led to the staff housing and when I got tired of running in the blazing afternoon sun I would do a last length along the beach and up a hill to a lookout where the sun was starting to dip. I would jog back to the Bure, take a shower and emerge just in time for an outstanding sunset (every night was different and equally brilliant). We would lather ourselves in bug spray and head to dinner. The chef was amazing and put on a culinary delight every night. Usually in a buffet style I forced myself to only take a plateful and not return for seconds. After dinner around 9pm there was always some entertainment, albiet not always entertaining such as crab racing. By about 10pm we were off to walk the moonlit beach, do a little star gazing and retire for the night. This went on for seven days with the only difference of one day taking out a sailboat for two for an hour, and another day taking out a kayak each for island exploration.
It seemed many of the other travelers were in Fiji for 7 days but only included Walu beach in their travels for 2-3 days. Many said that they wish they had stayed the full 7 days as some of the other islands were not so nice. I loved it and thought it was a great introduction to the South Pacific. The people were friendly and staff knew us by our first names. We were always greeted with a happy “Bula” which I was told translates into ‘love life’ or a variation of that depending on context, and is used in place of hello.
After departing the resort we stayed on the mainland to make our transit to the airport easier the next day. We had another look around the capital Nadi, and picked up some essentials along the main strip. Fiji was by far our favorite island as it gave us the opportunity to unpack for a week, have privacy in our own Bure, and give us a taste of routine once again which is something both Annamarie an I long for at the end of this trip. It delivered the sun, sand, palm trees, and gave us unexpected pleasures on top. I was always skeptical about these types of tropical island holidays and wondered what the attraction is. Now I know, it is a perfect way to unplug from the world and have time to be with yourself, whether you are in a high pressure job or backpacking around the world. Pack the sun screen and do it……..
Paddy Boy